Islam is a unique ideology based upon a unique Aqeedah which serves as the foundation for a
unique system of rules. The distinct nature of Islam would lead someone to ask whether or not
Islam came to also shape the thinking process, which is a process common to all human beings.
No doubt, thinking as a function of the human being is the same for all people. In this process, an
individual transmits his or her sensation of the reality to the brain through the senses, and then
connects this sensation to previous information about the reality to produce a thought. Thus, a
reality must exist, which a person senses either directly or indirectly,1 and this reality is transmitted
to the brain through one of the senses.
However, thought does not result from the sensation alone but results only by linking this sensation
with any previous information that the human being possesses which pertains to the reality at hand.
Thinking does not only consist of the reflection of the reality onto the brain as the Marxists claim.
The Marxists claimed such an idea for no other reason than to prove that matter precedes the Fikr,
that the reality is the source of the culture, civilization, social order, and awareness, and that all
evolved through the evolution of matter. Such a claim is false because the reality and the brain are
not sufficient to produce thought.2 Although these two elements produce sensation, the sensation
differs from thought because sensation exists among humans as well as animals. However, the
human being is distinct in the process of connecting the sensation with previous information to
produce a new thought.

Thinking in this method is universal, like the processes of eating and walking. However, because
human beings adopt different Aqaid, and the adoption of any Aqeedah builds a person intellectually
in a specific format, then the Aqeedah serves as the intellectual framework that defines the outlook
towards life as well as the reference and foundation upon which the person builds all other thoughts.
Thus, the Aqeedah by its nature mandates a distinct way of thinking. And adopting the Islamic
Aqeedah in a correct intellectual manner (based upon sound intellectual thinking and not based on
imitation of ancestors, blind faith, instinctive emotions, or benefit) will undoubtedly change the
individual into an intellectual ideological person who thinks in a distinct method with a distinct
style and inclination. And this distinct thinking will manifest in a distinct pattern of behavior.

Excerpt: The struggle between the Islamic Ummah as one Ummah and the Kuffar as peoples and nations continued for thirteen consecutive centuries. The conflict between Islam as a Deen, her unique way of life and Kufr also continued throughout these past thirteen centuries. At the advent of the thirteenth century hijri (nineteenth century CE), the Capitalist system, which is a system of Kufr, challenged the system of Islam in its thoughts and emotions. It was but a short round before the Muslims fell defeated. It was an intellectual blow that was followed by the destructive political subjugation.

The Vanguard of the Islamic Revolution -The Jama’at-i Islami of Pakistan bySeyyed Vali Reza Nasr.

In this groundbreaking study, Seyyed Vali Reza Nasr examines the origins, historical development, and political strategies of one of the oldest and most influential Islamic revival movements, the Jama’at-i Islami of Pakistan. He focuses on the inherent tension between the movement’s idealized vision of the nation as a holy community based in Islamic law and its political agenda of socioeconomic change for Pakistani society.

Nasr’s work goes beyond the exploration of a single party to examine the diverse sociopolitical roots of contemporary Islamic revivalism, challenging many of the standard interpretations about political expressions of Islam.

The System of Islam (Nidham al-Islam) by Taqiuddin an Nabhani
Hizb ut-Tahrir

Excerpt: “Man revives (yanhaDu) according to what he carries of thought (fikr) about man, life and the universe, and about their relationship, as a whole, with what preceded this life and what comes after it. Hence, in order for man to revive (yanhaD), it is necessary to radically and comprehensively change his current thought (fikr) and generate another thought (fikr) for him. This is because it is the thought (fikr) that generates the concepts about things and consolidates them”.

Hizb ut-Tahrir Britain’s report explores the traditional tools in Western Foreign Policy

It is always explicit or implicit in rhetoric of Western foreign policy that Western states aim to promote their grand principles of democracy, peace, human rights and overseas development.

However, in truth these same Western states are systematic violators of these principles and of international law. They are consistent condoners of rights abuses and key allies of repressive and dictatorial regimes

An American Muslim gives concise explanations in English of basic terms of Islamic jurisprudence, discusses the original sources and development of various schools of thought through the centuries, concluding with a discussion of the relevance of such teaching to Muslims living in countries where shari’a plays no part in the prevailing civil law. Though written for Muslims, the book will be of interest to others seeking understanding of Islamic law. Includes a helpful twelve page glossary of terms.

Strategic Estimate 2011 is the second annual assessment of the global balance of power by Khilafah.com. Our assessment focuses on the global trends, the emerging trends and the developments that have taken shape during the year between the world’s powers. We also give our assessment on what is likely to occur in 2011 based on the current international situation.

Introduction

As the first decade of the 21st century has drawn to a close, many thinkers, academics and policy makers are developing their assessments and forecasts for 2010 and beyond. The ‘Noughties’ as the 21st centuries first decade has come to be known was defined by the war on terror, the decline of the US as a world power, the global financial crisis and the resurgence of Russia.

The world’s powers regularly make assessments of all the trends they face and the trends they perceive will impact them. This is in order to protect themselves from any emerging threats and prepare for any challenges. An example of such an assessment is Americas National Intelligence Estimate (NIE). The NIE is the authoritative assessment and coordinated judgments of the United States Intelligence Community, a group of 16 US intelligence agencies. Alongside this many think tanks also produce assessments and reviews and construct policies upon such assessments in the hope that their proposals will be adopted by governments around the world.

This book was first released by Hizb ut-Tahrir shortly after the 1997 Asian financial crisis. Although written over 10 years ago the principles detailed in this book are still very relevant today in the current financial crisis.

EXCERPT: In the last week of October 1997, the major stock markets suffered a sharp fall in share prices. It started in Hong Kong, moved to Japan, then to Europe and then on to America.The fall moved in succession, from one country to another at the start of the day in each country. The sharp drop was coupled with a frenzied panic from a possible repeat of October 1987, when the Dow-Jones Index in New York dropped by 22% in one single day, or even worse, a possible repeat of what happened in 1929, when the collapse in the value of shares in America led to a major economic depression, which is referred to by historians as “The Great Depression”. This depression lasted for ten years and resulted in widespread poverty, starvation and misery. This depression did not lift until Franklin Roosevelt decided that America should enter the 2nd World War and revitalise her economy through a huge military armament.

Many people overstep the mark and apply the term ‘social system’ to all systems of life. This is an erroneous application; given that the systems of life befit more to be called the ‘systems of society’ since in reality that is what they constitute, as they organize the relationships which arise between a people living in a particular society regardless of their meeting or dispersing. The meeting of people is not considered, what is noted is only the relationships (‘Alaqat). Consequently, they will be diverse and differ according to the different relationships. They include economics, ruling, politics, education, penal code (‘Uqubat), societal transactions (Mu’amalat) and the rules of (testimonial) evidences (Bayyinat) etc.

Thus, the application of the term ‘social system’ to all of these relationships is meaningless and inapplicable. Besides, the word ‘social’ is a description of a system, thus the subject matter of this system should be the organization of the problems arising from the meeting (of people) or the relationships that arise from people meeting together. The meeting of a man with a man and a woman with a woman does not require a system because no problems arise from it, nor do relationships arise which require a system. Only the organization of their interests requires a system in view of the fact that they live in the same country even if they did not meet. As for the meeting of a man with a woman and vice versa, it is from this meeting that problems and relationships arise which need to be organized by a system. Thus, this meeting (Ijtima’) befits more to be designated as the social system, because in reality it is this system which organizes the meeting between men and women, and the relationships which arise from such meetings. That is why the social system is confined to the system which demonstrates the organization of the woman’s meeting with the man and vice versa, and organizes the woman’s relationship with the man and vice versa. Thus the social system addresses the relationships that result from men and women meeting and not from their interests (Masalih) in society, and it clarifies all that branches out from this relationship. Thus, trade between men and women pertains to the systems of society and not to the social system, because it falls within the economic system. As for the prohibition of (Khalwa) seclusion between men and women, or when a woman has the right to instigate divorce for herself, or who has the right of custody for a child, all of these issues pertain to the social system. Therefore, the social system is defined as: the system which organizes the meeting of a man with a woman and vice versa and organizes the relationship which results from their meeting and all that branches out from this relationship.